Hippi's Crush

By Juliet Pierce

I’m Hippi--named after Hippocrates, the ancient physician. That gives you an idea of what expectations my parents have of me.

I lead a double life.

Secretly, I’m a genius and one of six kids invited to participate on the school’s elite science project. But everyone knows me as the cheerleading captain and the most popular girl in school.

Yeah, I can have any guy I want, but the one I have a crush on is Ash, the captain of the science project. You know what that means. It’s totally not cool for the cheerleader to go after the science geek. It’s getting harder to keep him a secret and he doesn’t like it.

As if trying to lead this double life isn’t hard enough, someone’s started playing games with my head. I don’t know who it is; I’m feeling paranoid about who I can trust.

My perfect, popular world is starting to crumble, as well as my chance to be on the science team. What have I done for someone to try to destroy my life?

It’s going to take me overcoming my fears to solve the mystery. I wish I could just run away and hide in Ash’s arms and his kiss.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Juliet Pierce
• Release date: May 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311962119

Juliet Pierce

I'm a lover of words--always have been since I learned to read in kindergarten. At the tender age of 10, I decided to write a novel with my oldest sister. I wrote the first paragraph and she told me I had copied it out of a book (but I hadn't!) and refused to write with me anymore. That was pretty discouraging and the last time I thought about writing a novel until a couple of years ago. Now I can't stop!I've been writing screenplays for the past 13 years. Hello?! You would have thought writing novels would be a natural jump. A couple of my short scripts were filmed and produced. Now, I write full-time. I don't want to limit myself to one genre, although YA dystopian, sic-fi novels interest me the most.I'm a wife to the most amazing man on earth, a mother to some lovely children, and very blessed to pursue my love of writing full time. We have a dog who is a golden Labrador Retriever--and he's amazing! I'm also dedicated to eating organic and clean. Except when we go to Cheesecake Factory. All clean eating takes a backseat to Godiva chocolate cheesecake!

Book preview

Hippi’s Crush

by

Juliet Pierce

Copyright Juliet Pierce 2014

Published by Catch Cloud Creative Publishing at Smashwords

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are

the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

or actual events is unintentional and purely coincidental.

For sweet Emilee,

who honored me by buying my first book

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER15

CHAPTER 1

The day I received the invitation to participate in the Science Project was the scariest day of my life. The Science Project brought together the top brainiacs of our high school to work on a secret science project. In the spring, schools from all over the state compete against each other. Our school has won three of the past five years so there’s a lot of pressure.

But that’s not what scares me.

I’m Hippocrates Dawson--Hippi to every living human being--and a junior in high school. But I’m not one of ‘those’ kids--you know, the smart geeky kind who wears their intelligence for all other kids to make fun of. I’m actually one of ‘those other’ kids--one of the popular girls who makes fun of the science geeks. That’s why I’m scared.

Almost every girl on campus looks up to me. I’m the captain of cheerleading, I can date any boy I want, and I set the dress code for school. It can get pretty weird sometimes to just throw on a skirt with a T-shirt and have that look literally duplicated by most girls the next day.

I’ve got two top physicians for parents--thus, the name Hippocrates, which is brutal for a girl’s name. I’m also a closet genius. I was destined to be one with parents like mine. But kids at school don’t know about my IQ. Definitely not the popular crowd. I pushed back when teachers have tried to put my academic achievements in the spotlight. Thankfully, they’ve respected my privacy.

So when I got the invitation to join the Science Project, you can understand my hesitation. I know what an honor it is to be invited. Every nerd in high school holds their breath waiting to see if they’ve been chosen. Only six are allowed on the school’s team. More than that and the school would get disqualified.

My parents think it’s a good idea for me to participate in it. Secretly, I do too. My heart starts beating excitedly at the challenge of being involved in something that actually uses some of my brain cells. Not even the college classes that I privately take online bring me this much excitement.

So, I have a big decision to make. Do I accept the invitation, or not?

I was still asking myself that question when I made my way to the science lab after school. I was giving up cheerleading practice to attend the meeting. It was only the first week of school so that wouldn’t affect the squad too much. Miranda, my best friend, would cover for me. I just told her I had something to do and she jumped right in to take over.

That’s what I like about Miranda. She never questions anything I do. She’s smarter than most of the popular girls and we always enjoy a good laugh together. But even she doesn’t know about the Science Project.

I received a few curious looks from kids as I paused outside the science lab door. I was accustomed to getting looks--kind of goes with the popular territory. I was second guessing my decision to wear my miniskirt and short cashmere sweater that showed my midriff. Even my ankle boots seemed out of place as I waited for the nerve to open the door.

Suddenly, the door was abruptly opened by a geeky guy who looked at me with surprise. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and seemed uncertain what to do.

You gonna let me in? I asked with raised eyebrows.

He mumbled something under his breath and moved out of the way. I walked into the science lab and all eyes turned to me. Besides the geeky guy at the door, there were three other kids sitting at desks and a guy at the front. Mrs. Hurley, the science teacher, sat at a desk in the back of the room.

I recognized the guy at the front. He had been in one of my classes last year--maybe geometry. He turned to me and slightly frowned.

Cheerleading meets at the football field, he said with a tinge of sarcasm.

She’s here by my invitation, Mrs. Hurley piped up from the back of the room before I could respond.

The other kids audibly gasped and looked at each other with surprise. I smiled and made my way to join them at a desk. I sat away from them because that’s what we popular girls do--we distance ourselves from the sheep, so to speak--sheep because they always followed our lead.

The guy at the front couldn’t hide his surprise. He seemed at a loss for words and stared at Mrs. Hurley for a long moment.

I’m sorry, Mrs. Hurley, but I don’t understand what she’s doing here. I mean, we only have six slots. I know of at least three other kids--seniors--that would really be beneficial to the project.

I think Hippi will be able to provide a fresh perspective, Mrs. Hurley said. Her voice was firm enough to shut the guy’s mouth.

He threw me a hard look and turned back to the other kids. Yeah. I could see where this was going. He was going to try to exclude me. I’ve never been excluded from anything in my life. Very calmly, I rose from my desk and walked purposefully toward the geeks. I sat down beside a mousey-looking girl who shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Mrs. Hurley made her way to the front of the class. She smiled reassuringly at me. I’d always enjoyed her classes, so I felt comfortable being under her supervision for the project.

It occurs to me that we aren’t familiar with each other. We’re going to be spending a lot of time with each other this year and it’s important that we work together as a team. Let me introduce everyone. She pointed to the guy at the front. This is Ash. He’s the project captain. It’s his last year with us, I’m sad to say. He led us to a victory last year and I expect the same this year.

I looked at the guy with fresh curiosity. He must be a genius himself to have led the team to a win his junior year. He was kind of cute. Not like the jocks whose looks scream for attention, but cute in a played down kind of way. His hair was dark and tousled. He wasn’t someone to stand out on campus in his T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. Right now, he didn’t look too friendly.

Mrs. Hurley introduced the other team members. There was Deke, the guy who had opened the door. I’m sure he got a lot of flak from his name--Deke, the geek. Then Missy, the mousy girl I sat beside. Mrs. Hurley remarked about Missy’s amazing research skills, but I don’t think she was paying attention because she kept throwing looks at my killer boots. Thom and Jolene were fraternal Asian twins that rounded out the group. They were seniors who already had full scholarships to Harvard.

Then Mrs. Hurley pointed to me. Last, and certainly not least, is Hippi. You might recognize her as the cheerleading captain. What you may not know is that Hippi comes to us with a high grade point average. She’s already completed her freshman year of college by credits. Her parents are two of the top rated physicians in the state.

Parents don’t determine the intelligence of a child, Ash said loudly. I object to her being here, Mrs. Hurley. Sam Johnston would have been a great candidate. She helped me tremendously last year. I can’t believe you would replace her with--this. He raised his hand in my direction without looking at me.

I’m sorry you feel that way, Ash, Mrs. Hurley said, but my decision has been made.

Don’t I get any input? he asked in a low voice. I am the team lead, after all.

I respect that, Ash, but I need you to trust me.

He closed his mouth and crossed his arms. He refused to even look in my direction. That made me mad. I had initially come to the meeting to just check it out. After seeing his bad attitude, I decided I was going to join, after all. Call it arrogance or pride, but no one was going to make me feel like I didn’t belong somewhere.

Mrs. Hurley went over some rules of the project. I tried to focus, but it was difficult. I was painfully aware of the fact that I stuck out like a third thumb that didn’t belong on the hand. They had judged me by my appearance and had found me unworthy of their intellectual endeavor. Then I had a prick in my conscience. Isn’t that what I did every time I joined in on the remarks and laughter at them?

We’ll need to be prepared with project ideas when we meet next week, Mrs. Hurley was saying. We’ll take turns working on different aspects of the project so we are double checking and triple checking each phase of the project. I know Ash has several ideas for the project, but we want to stay open for fresh ideas that all of you may bring to the table.

She looked pointedly at me. I bit my bottom lip. I didn’t have any fresh ideas for the project. I didn’t even know what they had done last year. I definitely needed to do some homework.

She dismissed us after only meeting for about twenty minutes. I still had time to make it to cheer practice. I stood up and stretched. My sweater rose higher, exposing more of my tiny stomach. I was definitely blessed with great looks. That’s not bragging--it’s a fact. At 5’7 I’m taller than most girls at school and I feel really good about my shape. I’m naturally thin, which means I look good in almost any type of clothes. I always get compliments on my honey blonde hair. It’s thick and I wear it down so it falls to my waist. My eyes are an odd shade of blue, almost purple.

Right now, all eyes were on me. Even Ash. I caught his eye, but he quickly looked away. I let a smug smile cross my lips. I was sure he would warm up to me in no time. All guys liked me. I never had a problem getting dates to the school events. Of course, most of the guys I dated were jocks. It was kind of an unspoken rule that cheerleaders dated them. I had gotten past their cute looks a long time ago, though, and now found them quite boring.

The geeks watched me pick up my backpack and walk out of the room. They had probably started conspiring on how to get rid of me, but they would be in for a big surprise next week. I was going to have some ideas to contribute at the next meeting.

I changed into my shorts and tank for cheer practice and darted onto the football field to meet up with the other girls. The football players shouted and whistled as I ran past. I did a cartwheel and received a loud applause from them.

Miranda grinned as I ran up, out of breath. Show off, she laughed. Her blonde curls bounced on her head. She was short and cute and full of personality.

I flashed my pearly whites and took my position in front of the squad. I had made up most of the cheers, so they were happy to have me leading them through the intricate moves. After half an hour, we paused to take a breath.

Miranda came up beside me and grabbed my arm. Beau is going to ask you to homecoming, she whispered in my ear.

Beau was the football quarterback and totally hot. He had been dropping hints all summer that he wanted to date me, but I ignored them. He was a senior--and a jerk. He dated only the most popular girls at school. Now that I was a junior, I was his next target. I would go to homecoming with him, but that was it.

There really weren’t any guys I was interested in this year. If I was limited to jocks then my options were pretty dismal. Miranda and I had started looking at college guys. She followed my lead on the subject of dating. I know she had her eye on several football players and was just waiting to see who would ask her to homecoming.

I was swigging down a gulp of bottled water when we saw some football players approaching us. It must have been their break time too. The other girls started giggling the closer the football players came. Troy and Beau walked up to Miranda and me. Their practice uniforms were dirty and their hair was still sweaty.

Hey, Hippi, Beau said in a low voice. He came close to me. Uncomfortably close.

I laughed up at him. You look like you’ve been working hard.

I might need a rub down later, he said, narrowing his eyes suggestively. Wanna volunteer?

I gave him a sweet smile. You’re so funny, Beau.

He rolled his neck to stretch it out. The coach blew a whistle in the distance. He had to get back. Listen, he said, grabbing my arm and leaning in to me. You wanna go to homecoming with me?

He had asked me. Pretty impressive for the first week of school. I batted my eyelashes at him and asked in my best southern drawl, You want to take lil’ ol’ me?

He grinned. Come on. You’ll get homecoming queen and you know it.

I’d love to go to homecoming with you, I told him.

He stared down at me. I could tell he was totally into me; unfortunately, the feeling wasn’t mutual. But I wasn’t going to let him know that. Not until after homecoming.

Cool, he muttered. I’ll catch you later.

He trotted after the other guys who were already striding back across the field. Miranda grabbed my hand with a squeal.

Did Beau ask you to homecoming? she shrieked--loud enough for the other girls to crowd around me.

Yeah, I said with a forced smile.

They all started shrieking like idiots. I had to admire their energy. I was the first girl asked to homecoming. Going with Beau definitely sealed my status as one of the most popular girls at school. Somehow, the whole status thing wasn’t as satisfying as it was last year.

Let’s put all that energy to good use, I yelled. Back in formation!

The girls lined back up at my command. We resumed cheer practice. I was glad because the attention was taken off Beau and me.

After another hour of solidifying the new cheers, we broke for the day. Miranda was catching a ride with me. We hopped into my red convertible and sped out of school. I always got looks from other kids in my car. It was a beaut--and Miranda loved the attention it drew when she rode with me.

You are so going to get homecoming queen this year, Hippi, she crooned as I sped toward her house.

You think? I asked. It was more of a courtesy question. Unless something went terribly wrong, there was no question I would win.

Miranda laughed. There’s no one who could beat you now that you’re going with Beau. I thought Troy was coming over to ask me, but he didn’t, she pouted.

He will. Or maybe Jake, I replied. He’s super cute.

Yeah, but he’s a hacker.

Miranda and I didn’t like hackers--the guys who hacked up a loogie and let it fly wherever they were. I hadn’t paid much attention to Jake to know if he was a hacker. I wasn’t surprised though. Most jocks were hackers. If they did it in front of us, though, we just considered them too gross to give them our attention.

Well, flirt with Troy a little, I said suggestively. He’ll ask you.

Miranda gave a short laugh. No one could flirt more than Miranda. She oozed sexy when she really worked it--pouty lips, narrow eyes, husky voice.